The term “finishing” gets thrown around a lot in football discussions, specifically regarding offensive line play, but it has become a bit obscure and hard to define. The aim here is to utilize examples from the game film of what “finishing” looks like from a few different perspectives to help show what it should look…

Football is littered with specialized terminology. Fromshield punt formation to yankee concept, commentators rarely get to explain everything you need to know before the next play. Inside The Pylon’s glossary was developed to give fans a deeper understanding of the game through clear explanations, as well as image and video examples. Please contact us with…

Regarding the study of offensive line play, Offensive Line Performance (OLP) founder and owner LeCharles Bentley delivered a message at the inaugural OLP OL Seminar in the summer of 2016 that resonated with me. “Appreciate the craftsmanship.” My primary focus when I study film every week is on the offensive line, a position that is…

This is a multi-part series covering several areas of offensive line play in 2017; predictions on the five best OL units, top 3 OL at each position based on tape study, surprise OL unit/top backup OL, and a Q&A session with Chiefs RT Mitchell Schwartz – covering different aspects of his career and OL play…

This is a multi-part series covering several areas of offensive line play in 2017; predictions on the five best OL units, top 3 OL at each position based on tape study, surprise OL unit, top backup OL, and a Q&A session with Chiefs RT Mitchell Schwartz – covering different aspects of his career and OL…

This is a multi-part series covering several areas of offensive line play in 2017; predictions on the five best OL units, top 3 OL at each position based on tape study, surprise OL unit, top backup OL, and a Q&A session with Chiefs RT Mitchell Schwartz – covering different aspects of his career and OL…

This is a multi-part series covering several areas of offensive line play in 2017; predictions on the five best OL units, top 3 OL at each position based on tape study, surprise OL unit, top backup OL, and a Q&A session with Chiefs RT Mitchell Schwartz – covering different aspects of his career and OL…

This will be a multi-part series covering several areas of offensive line play in 2017; predictions on the five best OL units, top 3 OL at each position based on tape study, surprise OL unit, top backup OL, and a Q&A session with Chiefs RT Mitchell Schwartz – covering different aspects of his career and…

Dallas Cowboys left tackle Tyron Smith is the most physically talented tackle in football, and showcases his dominance through elite athleticism, play strength, discipline, and overall technique. Marrying his rare physical traits with an increasingly improving skill set has resulted in the mastering of the position when he’s been healthy. Despite struggles with a bulging…

Background Travis Frederick was selected in the first round (pick 31) of the 2013 NFL Draft surprising nearly every analyst as well as Frederick himself. Six of the top 11 picks in that draft were offensive linemen, and Frederick was the ninth OL drafted in the first-round. Since that surprising selection in 2013, Frederick has…

Evaluating Cam Robinson led to a wide variety of opinions on how good he was currently and how much better he could be in the future. It led some prominent media analysts to compare him to Ereck Flowers, or dismiss his chances of playing offensive tackle altogether, and project him inside to guard. Studying Robinson’s…

I evaluated Pat Elflein for the 2017 Inside the Pylon Draft Guide. I broke the former Buckeye down by watching a series of six games. A five-game minimum is typically the benchmark I like to hit when fully evaluating a player. This allows for exposure to the player dealing with the pain and various ailments…

Ethan Pocic was one of the offensive linemen I studied and graded for the 2017 Inside the Pylon Draft Guide. I watched five games of his film to break him down. A five-game minimum is typically the benchmark I like to hit when fully evaluating a player. This allows for exposure to the player dealing…

Offensive linemen are often the most overlooked and yet important position group on the football field. The general public typically notices offensive line play only when there is a glaring mistake or a big-time block. But offenses don’t succeed in spite of offensive lines, they succeed because of them. With that in mind and the…

The 2017 NFL Draft is widely regarded as a strong overall class, albeit weak along the offensive line (OL). My aim is to study and evaluate as many draft eligible offensive linemen as I can until Round 1 kicks off on April 27 in order to determine the validity of this claim, but also to…

The rare “30-30-30” guy. That is what Hobart head coach Mike Cragg said NFL scouts were calling Tampa Bay Buccaneers right guard Ali Marpet when they would visit the small campus in Geneva, New York. Marpet was not only showcasing dominant traits on film (Hobart plays on the NCAA’s Division III level), but he also posted…